Where Does Bacon Come From?

Introduction

Who doesn’t love a sizzling hot slice of bacon for breakfast, a pork roast for dinner, or a good ‘ole hotdog at the ballpark? Introduce this 60-minute lesson plan and help teach your students about where bacon and other delicious pork products come from.

Grade Level

2nd – 3rd grade

Time Requirements

60 minutes

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Explain where bacon and other pork products come from
  • Recognize the nutritional value of pork
  • Use English and language skills to communicate pork related messages

Indiana Education Standards

  • Standard 1: Phonemic Awareness (2.1.1.) – Demonstrate an awareness of the sounds that are made by different letters by rhyming words
  • Standard 2: Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Nonfiction and Informational Text (2.2.4) – Ask and respond to questions (when, who, where, why, what if, how) to aid comprehension about important elements of informational texts
  • Standard 4: Organization and Focus (2.4.1., 2.4.2) – Create list of ideas for writing, organize related ideas together to maintain a consistent focus
  • Standard 5: Writing Applications (2.5.4) – Write rhymes and simple poems

Materials

  • Cut out or printed out images of pork products (pre-work: students are instructed to bring to class)
  • Large posterboard (students are instructed to bring one large posterboard to class)
  • Markers
  • Gluesticks
  • Pre-cooked slices of bacon (one per student)

Instructional Approach

  1. The night before this lesson plan is introduced in class, assign the following as homework:
  2. Utilizing the Internet, magazines, or grocery store flyers, search for photos of food items made with pork – such as bacon, sausage, ham, etc.
  3. Cut out or print 8 – 10 images of these food items.
  4. Bring the photos to school with you the next day, along with one large white posterboard.
  1. In class, introduce the lesson plan topic, “Where does bacon come from?” [15 minutes]
  2. Kick-off the classroom by taste-testing slices of bacon (which can be pre-cooked ahead of time and reheated in a school microwave)
  3. Solicit responses to this question from students, “Where does bacon come from?”
  4. Ask, “What food group in the MyPyramid does pork belong to? (Answer: the Meat & Beans group). Show where pork fits on a MyPyramid illustration.
  5. Have students brainstorm a list of pork products other than bacon. (Possible responses: ham, sausage, pork chops, hot dogs, etc.)
  6. Discuss the nutritional value of pork and the recommended servings per day for 2nd and 3rd graders
  7. The MyPramid tells us most meat and poultry choices should be lean and low-fat. Pork is one of the leanest meats available.
  8. Pork is an excellent source of protein, and is considered to be a healthier choice than red meat, like steak and hamburger.
  9. The recommended amount of food from this food group depends on number of factors, including your age, whether you’re a boy or girl, and the amount of exercise you get each day.
  10. The average daily requirement from this food group for your age group is between 3 – 5 ounces per day.
  11. How much do you think three to five ounces is? (Solicit responses). Is three to five ounces about the same size as an egg, a deck of cards, or a table napkin? (Answer: a deck of cards)
  12. Pork is an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals your body needs to grow, including vitamin B-6, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorous, potassium and zinc. Pork also has three times as much thiamin as any other food. Thiamin changes carbohydrates into energy and promotes a health appetite.
  1. “The Power of Pork” - Activity [20 minutes]
  2. Instruct all students to retrieve the images which they collected from home the night before.
  3. Have students assemble in groups of two.
  4. Instruct each group to create a “Pork Promotion” poster. Each group’s presentation must include at least five facts about pork neatly written in complete sentences. The promotion must also include a headline that would encourage the person reading it to consider the power of pork as a healthy and nutritious food choice. (For example, “Power up with pork!”, or “Pork – the perfect white meat!”)
  5. Encourage students to be as creative as possible with their posters.
  6. After 20 minutes, randomly select groups to share their pork promotion posters with the class.
  7. Rubric (Grade based on a 10-point total score)
  8. 2 points for visuals
  9. 2 points for (five) pork facts
  10. 2 points for team participation
  11. 2 points for creativity
  12. 2 points for overall presentation
  13. Possible follow-up discussion questions:

- What did you learn from this exercise?

- Is there anything that surprised you?

- Based on what you have learned about recommended daily

requirements, do you think you get enough pork products in your diet? If no, what action do you plan to take to improve this?

  1. “Pigs, Pork, and Poetry” [20 minutes]
  2. Post the following pork-related terms on the board.
  3. Pig
  4. Sow
  5. Herd
  6. Pork
  7. Meat
  8. Ham
  9. Barn
  10. Farm
  11. Pen
  12. Snout
  13. Safe
  14. Corn
  15. Vet
  16. Tails
  17. Instruct students to work individually to create a rhyming poem of at least six lines. (Assist the students with rhyming terms, if necessary).
  18. Students must write in complete sentences, and include at least five of the listed terms.
  19. Students can refer to Barnyard Chronicles, Volume 1: Charlie’s Rescue for inspiration.
  1. Rubric (Grade based on a 10-point total score)
  2. 2 points for 6 lines of copy
  3. 2 points for complete sentences
  4. 2 points for rhyming lines
  5. 2 points for using five terms
  6. 2 points for creativity
  1. “Pigs in a Blanket” [5 minutes]
  2. Pass out the “pigs in a blanket” recipe that students can make at home with a grown-up.
  3. Ingredients
  4. 1 package of crescent rolls
  5. 8 uncooked hot dogs
  6. Cooking instructions
  7. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  8. Separate each crescent roll and lay flat (as a triangle) on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  9. Place one hot dog along the longest end of each triangle. Wrap the triangle around each hot dog until you run out of roll.
  10. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown.

1

Lesson Plan - Swine

Funded by the soybean and corn checkoff in support of the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council's
strategic plan goal to increase corn and soybean consumption through Indiana livestock.